An agricultural harvester e.g., a plant cutting machine, such as, but not limited to, a combine or a windrower, generally includes a header operable for severing and collecting plant or crop material as the harvester is driven over a crop field. The header has a cutting assembly for severing the plants or crops, such as an elongate sickle mechanism that reciprocates sidewardly relative to draper belts for transporting the cut crop toward a central location.
A larger/wider header allows for faster crop field clearing. However, the larger a header is, the more difficult it becomes to maintain efficient crop gathering because the lateral edges of the header flex as the edges experience changes in terrain, e.g., elevation. This flexing creates unnecessary strain on the header and cutting mechanism if not properly accounted for. Additionally, changes in elevation cause crop to go to waste if such flexing causes the cutting mechanism to cut above the stalk of the crop.
Thus, there is still a need for a header that can allow an operator to easily adjust the height of the cutting assembly to optimize header performance and achieve efficient harvesting operations. The exemplary embodiments of the subject disclosure address the foregoing issues of conventional headers.